Guardian short story contest

Guardian Weekend summer fiction special: Calling budding writers

Fancy yourself as a writer? Well, here's your chance for your story to appear in the Guardian Weekend's fiction special this summer

Charlotte Northedge
The Guardian, Saturday 14 May 2011
Article history

Handwriting 460
Guardian Weekend's summer fiction special is your chance to appear in print alongside some of the best writers around today.

Are you a budding writer? Every year, in August, the Guardian's Weekend magazine publishes a selection of original fiction by some of the best authors writing today. Last year's fiction special featured stories by Hilary Mantel, Roddy Doyle, David Mitchell and Barbara Trapido, among others, and this summer we will be unveiling another line-up of stellar names. Yours could be among them.

Top novelists judge the entries, and they will be looking for the most original, gripping and well-crafted pieces of writing. Their favourite story will be published in the magazine, while the five runners-up will have their stories published online at guardian.co.uk/books.

The theme of this year's fiction special is "journeys", and to enter all you need to do is send us a story of no more than 2,000 words by 13 June. The work must be previously unpublished and we can accept only one story per entrant.

If you have always wanted to try your hand at writing, but never had the reason – or the discipline – to get started, now's your chance.

Send your story by 13 June to Short Stories, Guardian Weekend, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU, or email it to short.story@guardian.co.uk (no attachments, please). Include a daytime phone number with your entry.

Terms and conditions apply – for full details, see below.
Terms and conditions

Entering the competition

1. The Short Story competition (the "Competition") is open to UK residents aged 18 and over ("You") subject to paragraph 2. below.

2. Employees or agencies of Guardian News & Media Limited ("GNM", "We"), its group companies or their family members, or anyone else connected with the Competition may not enter the Competition.

3. By entering the Competition, you are accepting these terms and conditions.

4. To enter the Competition, you must send a story of no more than 2,000 words to short.story@guardian.co.uk or Short Stories, Guardian Weekend, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. The theme is "journeys" and the stories should be previously unpublished. Only one story can be submitted per entrant. Please include a phone number. If You have any questions about how to enter or in connection with the Competition, please email us at short.story@guardian.co.uk.

5. You are responsible for the cost (if any) of sending your Competition entry to us.

6. Only one entry is permitted per person.

7. The closing date and time of the Competition is 5pm on 13 June. Entries received after that date and time will not be considered.

8. You own the copyright to your Competition entry as its author.

9. By submitting an entry to the Competition, You give GNM:

a. Permission for your entry to be published on guardian.co.uk and grant GNM a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to republish your Competition entry in electronic format and hard copy for purposes connected with the Competition; and

b. The right to use your name and town or city of residence for the sole purpose of identifying You as the author of your entry and/or as a winner of the Competition.

10. Your entry must be your own work, must not be copied, must not contain any third-party materials and/or content that You do not have permission to use and must not otherwise be obscene, defamatory or in breach of any applicable legislation or regulations. If We have reason to believe your entry is not your own work or otherwise breaches this paragraph 10, then We may not consider it.

Picking the winner

11. Two independent novelist judges will choose one winning entry and five runners up from all the Competition entries. Full details of the judging process and the judges are available on request to short.story@guardian.co.uk.

12. When choosing the winner, the judges will be looking for the most original, gripping and well-crafted piece of writing.

13. The judges' decision of who the winner is will be made on or before Friday 15 July. The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

The Prize

14. One winner will have their short story published in the annual Guardian Weekend short fiction special issue in August.

15. The winner will be notified by GNM by email on or before Friday 15 July. If a winner does not respond to GNM within 7 days of being notified by GNM, then the winner's prize will be forfeited and GNM shall be entitled to select another winner (and that winner will have to respond to the phone call or email from GNM within 7 days or else they will also forfeit their prize). If a winner rejects their prize, then the winner's prize will be forfeited and GNM shall be entitled to select another winner.

16. Details of the winner and their winning entry will also be published in Guardian Weekend in August or (at GNM's sole discretion) at a later date.

17. The prize cannot be exchanged or transferred by You and cannot be redeemed by You for cash or any other prize.

Some other rules

18. Entries on behalf of another person will not be accepted and joint submissions are not allowed.

19. We take no responsibility for entries that are lost, delayed, misdirected or incomplete or cannot be delivered or entered for any technical or other reason. Proof of delivery of the entry is not proof of receipt.

20. Details of the winners can be obtained by sending a stamped addressed envelope to the following address: Short Stories, Guardian Weekend, Guardian News & Media Limited, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU.

21. No purchase is necessary.

22. The winner may be required for promotional activity.

23. The Promoter of the Competition is Guardian News & Media Limited whose address is Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Any complaints regarding the Competition should be sent to this address.

24. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions shall exclude the liability of GNM for death, personal injury, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation as a result of its negligence.

25. GNM accepts no responsibility for any damage, loss, liabilities, injury or disappointment incurred or suffered by You as a result of entering the Competition or accepting any prize. GNM further disclaims liability for any injury or damage to You or any other person's computer relating to or resulting from participation in or downloading any materials in connection with the Competition.

26. GNM reserves the right at any time and from time to time to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, this Competition with or without prior notice due to reasons outside its control (including, without limitation, in the case of anticipated, suspected or actual fraud). The decision of GNM in all matters under its control is final and binding.

27. GNM shall not be liable for any failure to comply with its obligations where the failure is caused by something outside its reasonable control. Such circumstances shall include, but not be limited to, weather conditions, fire, flood, hurricane, strike, industrial dispute, war, hostilities, political unrest, riots, civil commotion, inevitable accidents, supervening legislation or any other circumstances amounting to force majeure.

28. The Competition will be governed by English law.